Review: Richard Herring’s Talking Cock: The Second Coming – Northern Stage, Newcastle

Richard Herring’s latest effort is in fact a revamp of his 2003 Edinburgh show, Talking Cock – and it’s all about penises. Are they funny? If so, why? Are men ashamed of their own members? Are women intimidated by them? The show aims to answer all those questions and more.

If there is anyone who can make an hour or so of knob gags go the distance, it’s Herring – who has always had a naughty schoolboy streak running through his otherwise-sophisticated comedy. But it’s not all fun and games; there are serious sides to Talking Cock too. In fact it’s often half stand-up gig, half lecture.

Herring delivers the lines at a relentless pace and doesn’t really give the audience time to catch their breath. Most of the time that works fine, but occasionally, when he switches from funny to whimsical, it catches us off guard. You can sense everyone waiting for a punchline that never quite comes.

Most of the funny stuff comes from Herring dissecting a penis-themed questionnaire, which reveals men and women’s different takes on the organ. The revelations are startling and give Herring the platform he needs to deliver his narrative about the pride, ignorance and shame that penises provoke.

For me the show could have been slowed down for the audience to really take in Herring’s musings on the male member. But while I don’t rate it as one of his best, a good Richard Herring show still puts him miles ahead of most other comics.

Date of live review: Wednesday 6 March 2013